Rules

RULES & REGULATIONS

All rules and regulations are set by the OHIO CRAFT BREWERS CUP. Judging and Scoring will follow similar guidelines used by BJCP, GABF, and World Beer Cup until the Best of Show round.

ELIGIBILITY

Entry to the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup is available to any operating brewery in the State of Ohio no matter the size. Out of state breweries are not permitted to enter this years cup.

ENTRY

To enter your brewery into this year's Cup, you must complete an ENTRY FORM and submit your Entry Payment. A fee of $50 per beer entry is required to secure your position in the Cup.

JUDGING

Our panel of judges consists of professional brewers and certified guest judges from Ohio. No judge is permitted to participate in scoring a category they have also entered.

AWARDS & BEST OF SHOW

The best THREE beers in each category will be awarded medals by our panel of judges. The scoring method will incorporate a modified version of the Beer Judge Certification Program scoring method (BJCP). This hybridized scoring method will ensure the best beers are chosen by the judge's consensus without strictly relying on the points style parameters of the BJCP.

Awards will be given for Ohio’s best breweries determined by size as well as region:a. Best Large Brewery (Greater than 15,000 bbls)b. Best Medium Sized Brewery (Less than 15,000 bbls but greater than 5000 bbls)c. Best Small Brewery (Less than 5,000 bbls but greater than 1,000 bbls)d. Best Nano Brewery (Less than 1,000 bbls)e. Regions: Central, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, West Central

All beers will be scored and all scores will be returned to the breweries for feedback.a. Judges will remain anonymous for all scoring entries.b. Judges will maintain positive constructive feedback throughout the competition.

Points will be awarded to beers based on their medal finishes (3 points for Gold, 2 points for Silver, 1 point for Bronze.)

Accumulation of points will determine the Best Brewery for each size.

A BEST OF SHOW will be awarded by collecting all Gold Medal winners from each category and conducting a final round of judging of the selected beers (using round table judging format). The winner of this final round will be crowned Ohio’s best beer.

Please send a minimum of (4) 12 oz beers in cans or bottles for each entry for judging.

INSUFFICIENT ENTRIES

In the case of a category having an insufficient number of entries (a minimum of 6 per category is required for judging), it will be combined with its next closest category to form a larger, broader category. Ex: Oatmeal Stout has 4 entries, American Stout has 5 entries. All beers would be combined into a general Stout category with 9 total entries.

The Ohio Craft Brewers Cup showcases the craft beer industry that is thriving in Ohio. Breweries of all types and sizes are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit our Rules & Regulations page.